Xcel Energy, a major electric utility in Minnesota, proposed a new community solar program to make the renewable energy more accessible to the 600,000 apartment renters in the state. The proposal was approved by utility regulators late last year. Now just a few months after the program officially launched, Xcel reports having received over 700 applications totaling 763 megawatts (MW) of solar power installations. To put these figures into perspective, it would be enough electricity to supply more than 100,000 average households each year.

This is significantly more than Xcel planned and now they are petitioning their own program to decelerate its implementation. expand full story